How to Care for Newborn Kittens

This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

There are 14 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

Caring for newborn kittens is hard work. They require attention and care around the clock. If you have recently taken in some newborn kittens, you will have your work cut out for you. If the mother cat is still in the picture, she can provide most of the kittens’ needs herself. You can support her by feeding her and leaving the kittens alone during their first week of life. If the mother cat is not around or not able to care for her babies, then you will have to take over her responsibilities. This will include feeding the kittens, keeping the kittens warm, and even helping the kittens go to the bathroom.

Consider the situation. The care that you give some newborn kittens will depend on a few things: the kittens’ ages, whether or not the mother cat is still caring for the kittens, and how healthy the kittens are. If you find a litter of kittens that have been separated from their mother, then you will need to provide the things a mother cat would, such as food, warmth, and help with toileting. Take some time to consider the situation before you start caring for the kittens.[1]

If you find some kittens that you think have been abandoned or separated from their mother, observe them from a distance of about 35 feet to see if the mother cat returns.

If the kittens are in immediate danger, then you will need to intervene without waiting for the mother cat to return. For example, you should intervene immediately if the kittens are in danger of freezing from the cold, left in a place that they might get run over or stepped on, or in an area where dogs might harm them.[2]

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Get help from your veterinarian or local animal shelter. Do not feel like you need to provide care for these kittens all by yourself. Caring for newborn kittens is a difficult job and you may not have everything you need to ensure their survival. Contact your local veterinarian or animal shelter for assistance. They may be able to provide a surrogate mother to help the kittens get proper nutrition or they may be able to help you with bottle feeding.[3]

Provide food for the mother cat if she is still around. If the mother cat is still present and caring for her kittens, then the kittens will be better off if you let their mother take care of them. But you can still help by providing food and shelter for the mother cat. Just make sure that you keep the food and shelter in separate areas or she may not accept either.[4]

Feed the kittens. If the mother cat is not around or is unable to care for her kittens, you will need to prepare their food for them and feed them yourself. The type of food that you prepare for the kittens will depend on how old they are. Make sure that you ask your veterinarian about any special feeding needs your kittens may have.[5]

When the kittens are 1-2 weeks old, bottle feed the kittens every 1-2 hours with a commercial milk replacer formula. Do not give cow’s milk to the kittens because it is too hard for them to digest.

When the kittens are 3-4 weeks old, provide formula in a shallow dish as well as some kitten food that has been softened with water. Offer these foods 4-6 times per day.

When the kittens are 6-12 weeks old, decrease the amount of formula that you offer them and begin to give them dry kitten food. Offer these foods 4 times per day.

Weigh the kittens once per day. To make sure that the kittens are getting proper nutrition and putting on weight, you will need to weigh the kittens once per day and keep a record of their weights. Kittens should gain about 1/4 to 1/2 ounce per day. Talk to your veterinarian if you are concerned that the kittens are not gaining weigh fast enough.[6]

Leave kittens alone during their first week of life if the mother is around. Mother cats may reject their kittens or get upset if they are handled too much, so it is in their best interest to leave them alone if she is still around. However, from the age of 2-7 weeks it is important to get kittens used to being held by humans.[7]

Handle kittens gently. Be very careful when handling a newborn kitten. If you have children who will be handling your kittens, teach them how to be gentle and never allow them to hold the kittens unless they are being supervised. Newborn kittens are fragile and even a small child could cause serious harm to a kitten.[8]

Provide a place for the kitten(s) to sleep. If the kittens do not already have a place to sleep, make sure that you provide someplace for them that is warm, dry, and away from potential predators. Make sure that the place you choose for the kittens is out of the elements and away from drafts. You can use a box or a cat carrier that is lined with clean towels or blankets.[9]

Keep the kittens warm. If the mother cat is not around, you will need to provide a heating pad or hot water bottle wrapped in a towel to help keep the kittens warm. Just make sure that the kittens can get away from the heat if they become too warm. Check on them often to see if they seem comfortable.[10]

Allow the mother cat to help her cats if she is around/able. If the mother cat is still around to help her cats use the bathroom, let her do her job. During the first few weeks of their lives, mother cats will lick their babies’ genital regions to help them urinate and defecate. Do not interfere when the mother cat is helping her babies like this.[11]

Help kittens urinate/defecate if necessary. If the mother cat is not around, you will need to help the kittens to urinate and defecate during their first few weeks of life. Use a wet washcloth or a piece of damp gauze to gently rub each kitten’s genital region until it urinates and/or defecates. Wash or discard the cloth immediately and dry the kitten off before putting him back in with his litter mates.[12]

Encourage litter box use at four weeks. At about four weeks, the kittens will be ready to start using the litter box. To encourage litter box use, place a kitten in the litter box after it has finished eating. When the kitten has finished using the box, put it back in with its litter mates and then put the next one in the box. Allow each kitten a few minutes to use the box after each meal.[13]

Watch for problems. If you notice that any of the kittens are not urinating or defecating when receiving help or when put into the litter box, then you should contact a veterinarian right away to find out what is going on. The kitten might be constipated or have a blockage that will need to be removed.[14]

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Community Q&A

The mother cat has her own needs, including finding water, food, and a place to toilet. Most mother cats won't toilet in or near her litter, since this can attract predators, so she will leave for a short time to do her business. As the kittens get older, she will leave them for longer, but this is completely normal behavior and the start her training them to be independent.

Soak cotton wool in clean boiled water. It's important to keep the eyes clean at all times. If they are unusually gummy or the discharge is yellow-green, they may have an infection, and the kitten should see the vet.

Cats are secretive creatures, so it can be difficult to tell. You may find she is quieter than usual for a couple of days before giving birth, but commonly the first sign is that the cat has disappeared off somewhere quiet to give birth. In addition, her mammary glands may start to swell as they fill with milk, and her rectal temperature may drop slightly below normal.

Kittens are born deaf and blind, with their ears and eyes closed. These open gradually, starting from around 7-10 days of age. Both eyes do not necessarily open at the same time, so no, you don't need to worry if only one eye is open. Give it a few more days.

Mother cats can suffer from uterine inertia where the contractions cease. This is potentially dangerous to both the mother and unborn kitten. It's likely the kitten will die inside the womb and then slowly poison the mother. If there is any possibility this is the case, contact the vet immediately.

Newborn kittens don't pass feces unless stimulated by their mother licking the anal region, and she then cleans away the poop. This is a survival mechanism which keeps the nest clean and reduces the risk of predators finding the nest. If the mother is doing her job, then you won't see kitten poop. If you are hand rearing it's crucial to wipe each kitten butt with a clean piece of damp cotton wool to encourage them to go. The poop is very runny and yellow-brown in color.

A newborn kitten will start walking around the age of 3 to 4 weeks but they’ll be very unsteady at first, so will often fall down or "wobble walk." They will start to stand before they start to walk. By weeks 5 to 6, they’ll be turning their walks into runs as well, by which point you’ll have some rather active kittens on your hands!

How do you clean out a kitten’s nose when they are only three days old? The kitten keeps sneezing. The mother abandoned them and I'm raising them.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Use something very soft and gentle, such as cotton wool dipped in warm water and squeezed to reduce the water, or an unscented baby wipe. However, the fact the kitten is sneezing is of concern, as the kitten may have caught a disease such as cat flu or some other upper respiratory infection. As such, it should be checked out by the vet quickly to avoid further complications and prevent spreading of infection.

Do not use standard flea powders or shampoos because the kittens are too young to cope with the treatment chemicals. Instead, begin by treating the mother cat with a flea treatment suitable for a nursing cat (ask your vet for advice) and remove all bedding and wash it (a hot cycle is best), then dry in the sunshine. Vacuum the whole area. Then, you can try removing the fleas off the kittens by hand (with the help of tweezers) and dropping the fleas into soapy water. It’s time-consuming but it is safe for the kitten. Some cat rescuers also use Dawn dish soap (original blue) on kittens, because it’s safe for the kitten and kills the fleas. Keep the kittens' sleep and play areas cleaned regularly and check the kittens daily, removing all fleas you find.

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Tips

Don’t be afraid to reach out for help from your veterinarian or a local animal shelter. They may have volunteers available who can help you to care for the kittens and increase their chances of survival.

Warnings

Do not hold a newborn kitten like a newborn child when feeding through a bottle. If you do, milk may go into the kitten's lungs. Always have the kittens four feet on the floor or in your lap during feeding times.

If you are going to give away a newborn kitten, make sure that the cardboard box you put them in has breathing holes and lots of blankets and food for the kitten to still live. Kittens need to stay warm, especially when they are out in colder weather.

About This Article

This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

To care for newborn kittens when the mother cat is still present, feed the mother to keep her strength up, but leave the kittens alone for the first week to ensure the mother doesn't reject them. If the mother cat is not around, you'll need to prepare and feed them yourself. If the kittens are 1-2 weeks old, bottle feed them with milk replacer formula every 1-2 hours. At 3-4 weeks old, provide formula and water-softened kitten kibble 4-6 times daily. At 6-12 weeks old, start giving them dry kibble 4 times daily!

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Apr 9, 2017

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Apr 12, 2017

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Apr 30, 2017

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May 1, 2017

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Jun 8, 2016

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Mar 29, 2017

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May 23, 2017

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